Autocar magazine 31 August - out now

A Tesla-rivalling electric Jaguar SUV is our exclusive cover scoop this week in Autocar, but Tesla has already raised the EV bar by unveiling plans to release a Model S that will cover 0-60mph in 2.5sec.

We’ve got the full story on both cars, plus news of Land Rover’s plans to add two new hybrid powertrains to its line-up and the inside story of how Genesis sees SUVs as key to the luxury Korean brand’s success.

Features:

Two spectacular road trips stand out in our features this week. The first is the account of a daring and epic jungle drive through the Congo in a hastily prepared Land Rover Defender. Then it’s back to the UK in a Nissan Leaf to see if the big-selling EV (and its hardy passengers) can tackle the drive between the three highest peaks the country has to offer.

We drive a prototype of the next-generation Hyundai i30 1.4 Turbo – is it going to give the Ford Focus a run for its money? Plus, we drive a new, downsized entry-level engine in the Skoda Octavia and put the hybrid Kia Niro through its paces in our full road test.

Our long-term test cars:

We’ve loved our Mazda MX-5 so much that we’ve bought it. Find out why, and who stumped up the cash for it, in this week’s magazine, along with updates on the Audi A4 and BMW i8, which is tricky to park due to its gull-wing doors.

Deals:

James Ruppert picks out exciting cars on a £1000 budget, and we explain why a Jaguar XK8 could just be a tidy investment for the future.